Growing fond of the enemy
by SimpleEmiko
Summary: Mathias, captured and taken prisoner, is forced to work on his captors fields. Soon treated as more than a prisoner, more than a worker, he finds confusion as the Prince of Norway turns annoyed eyes onto him in shadowed interest. Eventual DenNor, Boys-love. Set in a fantasy land, but using normal country names. Minor swearing, so T is for paranoia.
1. Chapter 1

**First off, please let me warn you about the rushed and slightly choppy first two sections of this fanfiction. I'm not too good at introducing stories, and so this is what I could come up with. Also I have not written a fanfiction in… Oh, eight months?**

**Secondly, this is based off of an old, dead roleplay with an old friend. Loosely. It was over a year ago we did this roleplay.**

**Anyways, Enjoy~**

* * *

Mathias was laying on the ground as cavalry forces surrounded him. He let out a low growl at the captain of the team. "You may have taken my kingdom, and no matter what you do to me my pride for my land shall never die!"

The leader laughed, steadying his horse. "Oh how I'd love to break your neck for saying such things." He looked down at the pitiful knight. "But I can only do so if my lord permits me."

"Which I do not." Forces parted as another man rode up on a calm stallion. The deep blue eyes looked judgingly on the fallen man. "Do as you will, but take him as prisoner. When you are finished, tie him by the ankles and bring him back to the castle."

"Yes, Lord Aleksander." The captain bowed as the man left, with a few other soldiers, before he got off of his horse and kicked the fallen man in the jaw. The beating continued for some time, before the dark-eyed man's orders were followed and Mathias was dragged back to his castle.

* * *

The blonde Dane was kept locked in the dungeon for an unknown amount of time, and water and some sort of mush was left for him while he slept.

But one day, Mathias was interrupted by a young boy opening the cell door. Dull blue eyes looked up to see the boy holding bandages and some sort of bottle.

"High Prince Aleksander would like me to clean up your wounds, sir." He said, setting the items down. "If you could please remove your shirt?"

Mathias looked at the child with suspicion, but removed the clothing anyways. His chest was covered in scars, bruises, and even some re-opening and fresh looking wounds. The boy got to work quickly, though he did not give the Dane much warning when he applied the odd-smelling paste to the cuts. The man hissed, tensing up. But he kept quiet, until the boy was finished.

"High Prince Aleksander wants me to tell you that you are only being healed because he needs a strong worker out in the horses' pasture." The boy stood up, leaving the chamber and closing the door.

Mathias just watched, confusedly, and put his shirt back on.

* * *

The same thing happened for only a few more days before a guard came in and half-dragged Mathias from the dungeon. He was brought to a large chamber hall, where the dark-eyed man was sitting at a chair at the end of a table that lined the rounded walls. He was dressed in a dark blue royal outfit, attention captured by the man being brought into the hall.

"I hope that Brynjar has been kind enough to you. You seem to be healed…" he murmured almost to himself, before standing. "Thank you, Hans. You are excused." The guard nodded before retreating out of the hall. "You are to follow me."

Again, Mathias watched the other with suspicion but did nothing to refuse orders given to him. "Where are we going?"

"The stables. You're going to be moving hay bales to and from the feeding holes." He said, almost boredly. "I'm going to be taking Liza out for a walk, if you're wondering why I'm showing you the way."

The taller blonde just nodded in slight confusion. When they reached the stables, Aleksander went straight to a young looking mare and led her out and into a field. "Ask Theodore what you are to do."

Mathias blinked as the prince got on the horse and left farther back into the field. He turned and went into the stable and saw a young teen shoveling horse droppings and stray hay strands into a large pile at the end of the stable hall. "Hey, you Theodore?"

The boy stopped and turned, looking Mathias up and down behind platinum bangs. "You're my help? My god…" he reached over, grabbing another pitch fork and tossed to Mathias, who nearly dropped it. "Weaklings don't last too long here in the stables, knave. You'll need to work hard."

"Hey! Don't you start damning me when you're twice as skinny!" Mathias growled, stepping forward and starting to follow the other's movements. He found moving the stinking substance was much harder than it looked. He grunted, feeling his cuts strained under the bandages.

"If you're that weak you can go and whine to the healing maids." Theodore said in an annoyed fashion, moving past the taller man and dumping his forkful on the pile. "I'm sure they'd help."

The blonde scoffed, forcing himself to work twice as much to match the other male's pace. After a few hours of work, the boys stopped- having finished, and started bringing in fresh hay bales for the horses.

Within moments of this, the prince rode up and gracefully dismounted. "Theodore, take Liza to her water." Dark eyes glanced at the Dane, before the short prince scoffed and started heading towards the castle. "You, Dansk, go take a bath or something. You smell like Hest dritt."

Mathias blushed slightly, taking a light whiff of himself before scrunching his face up. Sweat, blood and that gunky paste mixed with working with horse shit doesn't smell all that good. He trotted after the prince. "Wait up now, where am I supposed to go to wash myself? Hm?"

Aleksander groaned, "Why do you ask such stupid questions? Go ask one of the castle workers." The shorter man's pace quickened and he soon entered the castle once again.

Mathias scratched his head as he entered, stopping a rushed woman and asking her where the bathing area was. After he got directions he headed off and bathed himself.

Once out, he hissed at the re-opened cuts on his chest and arms. "That work did not much for me…" he was about to put his shirt back on, when he saw the child from the dungeon going through the bathing area and sweeping away any debris or rubbish that was left by others in the building. "Excuse me, kid!" he called, and purple eyes glanced up in question.

"Yes?" he asked, slightly bored sounding.

"Do you think you could re-fix my wounds?"

"No. Go to the nurses' chamber for that." He said before returning to his work. "I was only healing you to learn how to do so. I have no need to do that now."

"Oh... Right. Okay." Mathias said, again slightly confused. "So where is it?"

The boy sighed and looked at the Dane again. "Leave this bathing chamber. Head to the hall to your left and go all the way until the last door. That's it. It's even labeled."

Mathias nodded in understanding before waving and heading out the door to follow the boy's instruction. Once he got to the door, he entered wearily. There were a few maids sitting around, reading books or making some medication. The blonde stepped inside and cleared his throat.

Two of the maidens looked up, and smiled lightly to themselves. "Hello, young soldier. May we help you?"

"Yeah… I got these cuts that need fixing…" he said, pointing to his bare chest. The women only giggled and looked at each other.

A sigh came from right behind Mathias, and he turned to see Aleksander sitting on a cot in only a nightshirt, his trousers beside him. "Do not bother with them. Do not touch them in an ill way. These women have sworn to serve me as virgin maidens of healing." He glared at the girls, whom all shut up and rushed to get bandages.

Mathias looked questioningly at the prince, as no woman came rushing to his aid. The man grabbed a marked bottle and bandages himself, and sat down again at the cot. That's when the Dane noticed the other's thigh, wrapped up with stained bandages. Nimble fingers removed the cloth, throwing it to the ground, revealing a large, disgusting, and infected-looking wound. "Oh my…"

The prince paid no heed to the field worker, applying the pinkish paste to the wound easily before re-wrapping it. With the trousers back around his waist, the dark-eyed prince put the items away and left the room.

Mathias looked to the maids. "How come you do not help your prince?"

"Because." One answered, beginning to apply the odd-smelling paste to the man's chest. "Milord does not wish to be tended to, as he is far too independent for that. Just like he treats his own wounds, he receives and makes most of his own meals and fights most of his own battles."

The blonde looked at the door a moment before hissing as the paste was applied to a fresher scratch. "I-independent, eh?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh wow, thank you all for favouriting and alerting this story! That means a lot. w**

**Okay, so. This chapter was half-written when I posted the first one, so the update is quicker than the others will be. Most likely. Who knows. **

**My opinion is that towards the end of the chapter it's a little tough to read, fair warning. No matter, please, enjoy~**

* * *

Weeks passed and the Dane was pushed to work harder than he thought would have been possible in his state. He was either assigned to move hay bales and other food items for the horses, remove waste from different locations throughout the pasture, or work inside the castle scrubbing rooms and corridors. He had been moved from living in the dungeon to a worker's room shared with two other men.

Mathias did not mind, much. If he needed privacy he could wander the castle, exploring and learning his way around. It was nice to have some people to talk to without scorn in their voices as well.

Apparently, most of the field workers were once prisoners from a small land that had been taken over by the High Prince's rule. Most of these men had grown to be quite fond of the loose lifestyle in the castle, having free reign of travel when they were not supposed to be working. They also believed that the High Prince had fair rule, allowing men to leave as they needed to, for family tendencies or a spirit that cannot be tamed.

Mathias also met those men who find distrust in the prince, because he had viciously taken over their homes and then forced them to do work.

Mathias trotted down the corridor that led to the nurses' chamber, his arm and back burning slightly. He had just finished another day in the pasture and needed his wounds checked.

Like usual, when he got there the nurses smiled and helped him out, but doing so in a flirtatious way. Mathias had no mind to think of the women in any way other than ones to heal his wounds. He had once fallen for a maiden in his town, deeply fallen. Though the coming of a dark plague in the land had ailed the woman and she had fallen into its deadly clutches. Mathias, on his lover's deathbed, had sworn on his life he would never love, touch or think ill of another woman.

So he does not. Once his wounds had been tended to, he thanked the women and left the room- only to bump into the High Prince, who fell to the floor. "Whoa!" Mathias held out a hand, helping the shorter blonde up. "Sorry, prince."

The dark eyed male looked at the Dane, frown ever plastered on his face. "You would do well in learning to watch where your steps land you, Dansk." He walked past the other and right into the Nurse chamber.

After making a mocking face of the prince, Mathias headed back to his room. He needed some sleep after all the work in the pasture. He greeted one of the men already settled in his personal cot, and went to do the same.

"Hey, Mat'," the man, named Mikkel, said. "How're you doing?"

"Ah, well enough. Apparently all the heavy lifting is working my wounds to the point where the scabs rip right of 'em."

"That must stink." He chuckled a little. "But hey, at least you don't have someone in your ass all the time."

"So you haven't worked with Theo, have you?" Mathias returned the laugh. "I would prefer cleaning the guards' armour. You don't have some skinny, short little snot-nosed teen yelling at you to do proper work."

"Then you haven't met Chet." Mikkel scratched his beard. "Sure, he's older, so there's the respect in that, but he gets on you about every little detail, every speck and dent and imperfection on the armour. My god. He rides your ass like the High Prince and that mare he loves."

"Oh, maybe I would prefer what I do now." Mathias lay his head on the pillows at his cot, and closed his eyes. "But hey, maybe being indoors where the prince is isn't such a bad thing."

* * *

The next morning, Mathias woke before sunrise. He could not return to sleep, so he got up and went to the kitchen to get food. There was no unified meal time, but at certain times of the day the cooks made up food and placed the dishes in the food hall, where workers and guards and others came in, ate and then left to return to their duties.

It was not that time, but the Dane's stomach was loud with hunger so he made his way to get himself a goblet of water and a roll of bread. Once in the kitchen, he got the goblet and water, before spotting another figure in the room. "Good morning, Prince." He said, walking over to get himself some bread.

The other man was silent, lazily blinking and chewing on some bread himself. He didn't even seem to realize that there was another living being in the room. He sipped on some water before giving a yawn.

"Prince?" Mathias asked, walking over and patting the shorter blonde on the shoulder. "Are you ok-"

He was cut off by being pushed to the ground, knee on his chest, and Aleksander glaring down at him with a flaming fist in the air. It took a few seconds, but the prince's eyes soon lost their hazy, yet defensive appearance and became full of recognition. He sighed and got off the Dane, sitting on a stool with his hand massaging his temples. "Here's a new rule for you, Dansk." He groaned. "Do not touch me, especially when I am not fully awake."

"Yeah… Sure…. Got it…" Mathias said, standing. He was startled at the action, but recovered quickly. He looked at the prince, noticing that he was wearing a knee-long nightgown. He also took notice that the bandages that were supposed to cover the wound on his thigh had either migrated downward, or the prince's scar had been spreading, as they were now not only on his thigh, but around mid-calf. "What exactly are the bandages for?" he asked.

Aleksander groaned again, shifting a little bit. "I don't see why that matters to you, Dansk."

"The name is Mathias, and I want to know because I'm interested."

"Well, _Dansk_, I have no interest in telling you what has done this." He crossed the unwounded leg over the wounded one, nose up in the air and his face pointed to the wall opposite Mathias.

"Well, I would like to know if I might help." The blonde crossed his arms.

"And what could a pitiful soldier like you do? Oh, wait, you're no longer a soldier. You're a field worker now."

"I was told to learn certain medicine from my captain back home, Prince. I know my way around more unique wounds than you think."

The dark-eyed man scoffed, before turning back to the other with only slight curiosity on his face. "And what can you do that my maids, or my books cannot?"

"Got a book about monster ailments?"

"But of course."

"Monster medicines?"

"Yes."

"Guides to connecting the two?"

The prince remained silent, looking into the golden goblet he was holding. "Possibly… not."

"Aha, well." Mathias smiled victoriously. "I am one up on you there, prince."

Aleksander glared at the other, getting off the stool and leaving the room. Mathias just chuckled, refilled his goblet, grabbed his bread and headed back to his room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay dearies, now here is where I put in some mythology and other things of the sort. No, I am not using official mythological texts or official anything. I am making a good 85-95 percent of this up. But I don't see why this should matter much, as it is simply fanwork. :p Also, I cut the ending off in a pretty bad spot, but that's the toughest thing in this chapter. I'm getting a little better, I think~**

**And I got this done a little faster than expected, heh. Maybe I'll be able to update weekly, unless something comes up and I'm busy, of course. :D**

* * *

The blonde was hard at work, carrying heavy bales towards the stables. He smiled as he worked, and worked faster than the past days. Even a little tune was being hummed. The Dane was in a good mood for once on the field.

Theodore was a little more lenient on the amount of work that he had the other do, which just heightened the man's happy mood. The teen noticed this, and said nothing until the end of the working day. "Hey, Mathias." He called the other over.

The blonde trotted over, almost in a girlish manner. "What is it, Theo?"

"What's got you in such a happy-go-lucky mood today?"

Mathias blinked, and then put his hand to his chin in thought. "I don't really know… I woke up, ran into the Prince, proved him wrong and then got to work…"

"…. What did you prove him wrong on?"

"Oh, just an argument we had this morning. I dunno if I'd be allowed to tell anyone. He seems secretive about it." Mathias shrugged, and then turned to go back to the castle. "I'll see ya tomorrow, Theo!"

When he got back to the castle, he went straight to the bathing quarters and washed. Again, he got out and went to the nurse's chamber to get another installment of his medicine. And as he expected, the Prince was there, getting his paste and bandages.

"Good day, Prince." He said, removing his shirt to give the nurses access to his wounds. The prince did not answer, but did look the Dane up and down a moment before scoffing and changing his own bandages.

Mathias noticed that the nurses did not put the paste on his arms nor back or chest, and instead only lightly cleaned some scabbed areas and using thinner bandages. Once they were finished, he nodded in thanks and threw his shirt back on and left the room- only to be stopped by Aleksander.

"Dansk, come with me." He said simply, and started walking at a fast pace.

Mathias followed without question, though curious. They had walked until they made it to the Prince's personal chamber, and entered. It was quite a large room with shelves filled with books lining the walls, a large desk cluttered with scrolls and inklets, quills and other miscellaneous items. There was also a large and messy bed off in a corner of the room.

The shorter blonde quickly got to work pulling down books, and tossing them to the Dane- who was not the best catcher.

"What are these for?"

"You said you might know how to help me with my scar." The prince replied simply. "So I'm giving you these books on what I have learned. I am aware that I was bitten- and ripped into- by a demon of sorts. Every potion that I have found has little to no success rate in curing it, so I was told by a cleric on my travels home to use a certain medicinal paste to at least hold off the infection. As you can see…" the prince lifted his trouser leg to show that indeed the infection was spreading, "it has grown used to the medicine and is spreading."

"Do you remember what kind of demon bit you?"

"I do not. I do remember that it was in the Swamp of the Lich Lord." He said, sitting at the edge of the bed and watching the other. "But there are always flurries of demons there, so there is not one specific breed that resides."

"Mm…" Mathias opened up one of the books, flipping through some pages before closing it and going to the next. To be honest, he didn't really want to read anything. He didn't feel like he needed to. He had an average idea of what had bitten the prince, and had an average idea of what he needed to make in order to heal him.

Then it hit the Dane. Why was he caring for this prince, when he tore down his hometown and almost the entire Danish kingdom? He even forced him to work! But then again, that's the thing. He could have killed him, had that captain step right on his neck and killed him.

Mathias closed the last book in his hand and set it with the others, looking up to the prince. "Yeah, I know what'll fix ya." He said casually, standing up. "It's some kinda potion that has to do with cotton flesh wounds."

The prince looked at him in near disbelief. "Cotton Flesh?"

Mathias nodded. "It works for a lot of things."

"I've never seen that potion used for Demon bites. You must be out of your mind." The dark eyed man frowned deeply. "Brynjar! Get in here!" Within seconds, the silver haired boy peeked into the room.

"Yes, High Prince?" he asked, looking at the blonde.

"Take the Dansk to town to retrieve the items for Cotton Flesh." He said, slightly annoyed. He pulled a scroll from the desk, inking a quill and quickly writing down a list of ingredients.

Mathias took the list, and was shooed out of the door. "Take Elrith." Aleksander told the boy, and closed the door behind the two.

The boy nodded and headed out to the pasture, finding a strong looking horse and pulling her out towards the front gate. "You do know how to ride, yes?" he asked.

"Of course! I was a soldier before I came here." He said, mounting the horse. Purple eyes lazily looked up at the man, and he sighed and pulled the boy up. "You tell me which way to go…" he grumbled lightly, before heading out.

It took some time, but finally they got to the village closest to the castle. Mathias dismounted, unfolding the parchment and looking through the list of ingredients. "What the hell is Burbon Blood?" he asked, looking at the boy still on the horse.

"An herb." He answered. "I know what it looks like… We have to go to Edgar's shop for that." The boy steered the horse towards a little sales hut, dismounting and going inside. Mathias followed.

An older man with small reader's glass resting on his nose looked up as the two walked in. "What can I do for you two?" he asked.

"We need Burbon Blood." Brynjar said, then looked at the blonde.

"Huh? O-oh! Yeah…" he handed the list off to the man. "And all that, please."

The man looked over the list, going behind his desk and pulling out jars and cases and other containers. "I can get you everything but the Cat's Ears." He said, taking the items from their containers and placing each in a separate cloth sack. "I do not have them in stock today." He put the sacks down in front of the boys.

Brynjar reached into a pocket from his servant's clothes and handed the man some gold and silver pieces. "That should cover it…" he murmured, taking the sacks and putting them in a satchel that Mathias had not seen before. The man smiled and bid them a good day.

Mathias mounted the horse again, and again pulling the boy up. "So where do we go to get that Cat Ear stuff?"

"There is one other magicks store we can try." The boy said. "But I don't like her…"

He told Mathias to stop outside of a traveler's home, and the boy dismounted. "You should stay here. She hates men." He said then went inside. Time passed, and eventually the boy returned from the home, shoving another thing into the satchel. Mathias pulled the boy up and started heading back to the castle.

"So we have all the stuff now…" he mumbled.


	4. Chapter 4

**I thank you guys for your reviews! I go all fangirl when I receive the notification in my e-mail. X3 Y'all are awesome~!**

**And now, onto the story o3o :**

* * *

Getting back to the castle, Mathias made his way to the prince's chamber and lightly knocked on the door. "Prince? I have the stuff." The door opened, and the blonde man grumpily looked at the two. He held his hand out, and Brynjar put the satchel in his hand.

"Good-bye." He mumbled and shut the door.

Mathias turned to the boy. "So…"

No answer was given as the silverette turned and left, going down the corridor.

"Nice talking to you too…" Mathias pouted, before heading back to his own room.

* * *

The next morning, the man woke up and made it to the eating hall just in time for the first rounds of food to be brought in. He sat at a spot, pulling plenty of morsels from different platters onto his dish and beginning to feast.

Aleksander sat at the head of the room, reading through a book lazily and glancing up only when he heard someone enter the room. This was normal throughout the day, the prince sitting in the eating hall, watching his servants come in and out. This was also a common room, because it was the most open and had the most seating. If gossip started, or important news was brought up, the prince would hear of it immediately.

Mathias stood up to return his plate to the end of the tables, when Aleksander called for him. He dropped the plate immediately and trotted up to the prince. "Yeah?"

The prince looked down at him, before sighing in annoyance. "The Cotton Flesh worked. My scar is no longer eating up my leg."

Mathias nodded. "That's good then." There was silence between them, until the Dane slowly nodded and started to leave. "Well. Theodore has some work for me so I'll be doing that now." And he left, heading to the stables.

Once he got there, he spotted his 'boss' brushing one of the stallion's manes. He turned when Mathias walked up. "Lucky you. All we've got is to tidy the place up and groom the horses."

Mathias grinned and grabbed a broom, eagerly sweeping. Faster he was done, the sooner he could go back inside to…

To what? The blonde thought as he worked. He could play cards with Mikkel, except the fact that the arms worker didn't get released from his job until late in the afternoon. He could try to find some other people to hang out with, maybe drink some ale, but everyone seemed to stay away from the new guys. Trying to reason with the soldiers was no good, as they had a delusion that they were treated better than the workers and that they had more authority over them in the first place.

Before he knew it, a brush was being pushed in his face and Theodore was yelling at him to go to the mare at the end of the stables and groom her. Mathias hurried along and did what he was told, gently brushing the horse's mane.

"Dansk." A voice from behind startled the Dane, "You can be finished there, I'm going to take Liza out again." The prince stood, arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh. Alright." Mathias stepped back, letting the prince put a saddle on the horse and lead her outside.

The shorter blonde stopped, and turned back to the Dane. "Actually, I need to speak to you privately. Theodore!" the silver-haired boy blinked and looked at the prince.

"Yes sir?"

"Would you saddle Elrith up?"

Blue eyes looked at the other in mild confusion. "Yeah, sure." He went and got a saddle, putting it on the horse.

Mathias walked up, leading his mare out to follow the prince. After walking ony a few minutes, the dark-eyed man mounted the horse. He headed off farther back in the pasture, Mathias close behind. Once the prince slowed down a little, the Dane rode up beside him. "What'ya want to talk to me about?" he asked casually.

The shorter male looked at his companion in annoyance. "You're much too impatient? But indeed, this topic is inevitable." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You seem quite loyal, despite your short time here."

"Okay, yeah." Mathias shrugged. "So?"

Another sigh left the other man, and he shook his head. "Hopeless. Not many people are willing to change their loyalty or pride so easily."

The taller man let out a laugh, "I'm not loyal to this land, prince. Nor to you." He flashed a toothy grin. "It's more of a do-or-die situation, and being broke and all, I can't really go out into the world."

The prince stopped his horse right on the spot, turning with a harsh glare. "You insolent pig." He said. "then explain to me the reason behind healing my wound? Actually listening to me? Following orders?"

Mathias blinked his blue eyes at the other. "What?"

"If you're only here under do-or-die circumstances, then why did you bother helping me with my wound?" small hands tightened around the reigns.

"Oh… Ah, well…" the Dane was at a loss for words. He did not know why he helped his captor, as he felt no loyalty towards him. "'Cause… Ah, 'cause…. I dunno, probably because saving a life makes me look good?"

Aleksander scoffed, turning his horse around and making his way back towards the stables. "Scrub the stables up and down until they look brand new. Even then, I want you to repaint the entire thing." He said bitterly.

Mathias again blinked at the other, before catching up with him. "Hold up now, what? Just because I'm not loyal to you I'm put under a shit ton of work?"

"Oh, well, that's how it seems now, isn't it." Aleksander replied, in a slightly mocking fashion. "Now get off that horse and take her back to the stables. Hurry up and you might make it back in time for the final meal of the day." The prince rode forward.

The blue-eyed man urged the horse forward, effectively cutting the other off. "I don't see why you have to be such a prick! Yeah, you're handsome and all, and who gives a shit if you rule this land? I know I don't. So how about cleaning up you act, yeah?"

He did not expect the hand to strike him across the face, nor the angry, blushing face glaring at him. "You do not speak to me in such a way. Be lucky I don't have your head for that."

"Speak in what way? The truth?"

"In a way that hurts! 'Truth' has nothing to do with it, Dansk! You are being rude and rash and a real pain in my ass!"

They both paused at the outbreak, looking at one another, Aleksander in anger and Mathias in surprise. "Damn, prince. Didn't know you had a mouth on ya."

The shorter man breathed out angrily, before going around the other man and galloping back to the stables. Mathias watched on a moment, before slowly making his way back.

Once back he gently slid off the horse and led her back to her stable. "He's one confusing guy…" he mumbled to himself.

Theodore appeared around the corner, face paler than usual. "W-what the hell happened? You left and next thing I knew the High Prince is really pissed off, demanding me to do every little chore in sight."

Mathias looked at the other, before crossing his arms. "The prince blew up at me because I told him how I really felt about obeying his orders."

Theodore blinked his blue eyes. "So he got mad?"

The blonde nodded, gave an affirmative, and then picked up a broom and started sweeping the stable floor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Alrighty! I'm glad you all seemed to like the last chapter! ^w^**

**But I do admit that this chapters a wee bit shorter than the others.**

**Well, as usual, the story awaits~!**

* * *

Days had passed, and eventually Mathias had no need to go to the nurses' quarters, as his wounds had healed up.

His work had increased much since the little argument with the prince. He told the other what he had felt, that was the end of that.

"Dansk." The tall blonde turned to see the prince with crossed arms glaring at him. "You have worked hard enough in the stable field. Now you are to help my farm workers gather crops for the trip to the neighboring country. And I better not hear a lick of complaining from you."

"Fine fine, prince. Whatever you say." Mathias took his pitchfork and placed it in its spot, moving to go out back where the farm lay.

As he passed by the shorter blonde, he bumped shoulder lightly. He had no grudge against the prince, but he certainly found entertainment in getting different emotions to splay about the other's face.

He made it out back, finding the farmer in charge and getting instructions to go to the back apple orchards and start collecting the fresher fruit. He also found that Brynjar would be carrying the bucket with the apples he collected.

"So." He stated, starting to make his way to the trees. "How did you end up working for the prince, eh?"

The silver-haired boy was silent for a moment, before answering. "I was born to do work for the High Prince, and to learn all the ways in which the servants work."

"Oh? Then where are your parents? Have I met them?"

"You may have. They don't come around the castle much…"

"You just got dropped off here as a worker?"

Brynjar was silent, looking down at the ground as he walked.

Mathias took this as a hint that it was a tender subject. He normally would have poked deeper into the kid's business, but decided that it was a better idea to get to work so 'his highness' wouldn't have his ass on a platter.

The man got to work pulling branches down and picking apples from the trees, and putting them in the basket for the boy. Once a basket was full, they carried it back to a carriage to dump them there and move to the next tree.

The worked for most of the day, before going in to eat and rest. After his fill, Mathias went back to his room and sat down on his cot. Mikkel apparently had a late shift, so he would be alone for quite awhile. He settled deeper into his cot, pulling his blanket over himself. He might as well get some rest before he was forced to get up to do more of Aleksander's work.

* * *

Mathias woke with a start in the middle of the night. He sat up, breathing heavily, and looking around. He didn't know why, but he was nervous, or scared. He threw his legs over the edge of his cot and headed out of his room, catching a torch against a wall.

His instincts led him to the front entrance of the castle. He looked out to the front gate, where the night guards were found speaking with a very… skimpy dressed young lady. As Mathias approached, he saw that this woman was more of a demon than anything, long winding tail waving lightly and wings folded curtly at her sides.

"… for just a moment, handsome~" she purred, running a finger along one of the guards' jawline. "I only want to _speak_ to the prince, I swear~"

The two guards looked at eachother, small smirks on their faces. "Well, lil' lady, I think you'd need to give us your payment first~"

The Dane sighed, before piping up. "What the hell is going on here? Bargaining with a demon?" he asked, hand on his hip.

The guards turned to the other, frowning. "You're a yard worker, you have no need to be snooping around in a guard's business."

"Oh, boys~" the demoness smiled, leaning against the wall, brushing some hair out of her face. "You should just kill him."

The guards looked at each other, then at Mathias. "He is a useless worker, anyways…" then they pulled out the swords from their sheaths and pointed them at the man.

"Aw, come on, guys, we're all working for the prince here…" Mathias backed up, holding his empty hand up in defense. When the guards did not stop their advance, he tossed the torch at one of their faces, racing behind them and grabbing one of the swords from behind.

Upon contact with the handle of the blade, he felt like he was back in his homeland, fighting against the forces trying to tear his life apart. All he saw were the memories of him fighting against hundreds of men, as he thoughtlessly sent them to their own Hell, blood splattering the ground. He felt others come at him, and swiftly he finished them off- almost automatically, with no thought.

After some time, his arm had relaxed, and he came to. He looked down at his blood splattered hands, and gasped. Beneath his hands, splayed out on the ground were the two guards. The men were mutilated, in chunks, with pools of blood dribbling from their flesh.

He heard a hearty woman laugh, and turned to see the demoness with her hand to her mouth, eyes tuned in to the guards that had been ripped to shreds. "Wow, deary, you certainly gave them no mercy whatsoever." She put her hands on her hips, smirking. "But you wouldn't fall for a little old demon like me, would you? No, maybe I'd have to send my brother out to get you~" she looked up to the sky, frowning. "But, only another time. Dawn is approaching." She blew a kiss to the man standing. "I'll be seeing you later, sweetie~"

Mathias watched as the woman flew away, before looking back to what he had done. The sword still lay in his hand, and there were drops of blood splattering his face, his clothes, nearly all of him.

His eyes grew wide as he heard the door of the front entrance opened, and he slowly turned to see the prince standing with a shocked face, looking at the scene. "What the hell…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh, you all are so nice! ;w; And I'm finally getting to a sort of back-plot type thing, so maybe just a few more chappies before a little fluff goes on~ (depending on how this all goes, heh.) But, as always, enjoy, dearies~!**

* * *

Mathias blinked at the prince, who finally set eyes on him. Those dark eyes were both shocked and outraged, and he saw the prince's hands clenched into fists.

"Prince… There was a-" Mathias started to say, but was cut off by the sword being magically ripped from his hands. He looked to the prince, who now had the blade, and tossed it aside.

"Explain yourself. Now." He said, with calm force.

"The… The guards were making a deal with a demon, and…. Uhm…" Mathias looked again at the mutilated bodies. "I don't know, suddenly, they came at me with swords drawn…"

Aleksander looked skeptically at the other. "Demon? Why would you think there would be a demon inside the castle walls? There is a spell banning demons from these grounds."

"She wasn't insi-"

"_She_?" The prince sported a slightly surprised look. "What did she look like, exactly?"

"Uh… I don't see how that matter-"

"Just answer my question, Dansk."

"Okay, fine… She wasn't really all that conservatively dressed, and, uhm… Long hair, really pretty, wings and a tail?" he shrugged sheepishly. "It was dark out…"

The prince took a few steps forward, kneeling down and looking at the bloody mess. "It seems… You may have run into a succubus…" he stood up. "Come." He ordered, and turned inside and went straight to his chamber. "I honestly should not trust you after you slaughtered two of my guards. But demons are more important than anything at the moment." He pulled out scrolls, parchment and books. He quickly sorted through them, laying a few out. "Which of these is closest to what you saw?"

Mathias blinked and looked at the papers in front of him. There were many different drawings of demonesses, but none so far that looked even remotely like the woman from the gate. Eventually Mathias pulled out a page of a book, and showed it to Aleksander. "That looks like her, but this one's wings are too large… And the clothes are a little more revealing."

Aleksander looked at the paper, before hissing lightly. "Great. She's after me now?" he sighed, sitting at the edge of his bed. "How in the eighty hells did you not fall for her tricks?"

"What tricks?" he asked, sitting in the chair at the desk.

"She apparently is able to seduce any male into doing her favors. I'm wondering why the hell you didn't fall for her tricks!"

"Oh… Maybe I just didn't get close enough?" he shrugged.

Aleksander looked at the other's face, before sighing. "I guess that is a possibility… But this incident has only increased the need to go to the neighboring country." He stood up, taking a blank parchment scroll and scribbling a note on it. He quickly folded it up and sealed it with candle wax. He then handed it to the other in the room. "Take this to the arms quarter. It should be in the exact opposite direction of the nurses' chamber." The short blonde started moving about the room, picking out books and scrolls, jars of ingredients and other miscellaneous items and putting them in a satchel.

Mathias did as told, though taking his time. This was the first time he had been down the arms quarter of the castle, and he had found the room in which he knew Mikkel worked, fixing the soldier's armour.

He stepped in the room, and was almost immediately told to stop by one of the head knights. "What do you want? You aren't assigned to this room." He stated, glaring at the other male.

"Well the prince wanted me to give you this." He shrugged, holding out the parchment.

The soldier quickly snatched it from his hands and tore off the seal, opening it and reading it over. A green-eyed glare was sent to Mathias, before he turned and called back into the room. "Get me a set of second-protection chainmail! As well as the whole third-rate set!"

Mathias blinked, confused, before turning to leave.

As soon as he did so, his arm was yanked back by the soldier. "Oh no you don't. You don't get such high privileges on a normal basis and just _choose_ to walk away from them. That's an insult to his Highness." The Dane was led farther back into the room, and soon there were workers with chainmail surrounding him.

It took a few moments, but eventually Mathias realized that he was being fitted for armour. He blinked in confusion, letting the chainmail fall over him, being fitted for the breastplate, gauntlets, shoes, everything.

* * *

Mathias walked out of the room, carrying his new garments, still confused. He was told that he had to get a room change, and since the letter was directly from the prince he hat to report to him.

So he went to do that. He entered the prince's chamber, holding the armour sheepishly. "Uhm… What did you just have me do?"

"You are one of the few that have been able to get passed the Succubus's spell." The prince looked at the other from his ladder, picking another book off the shelf. "It doesn't matter how far away a human is, if they are close enough to see the demon for what she is, they are undeniably vulnerable." He placed the book in his arms, before sliding down from the ladder.

"I don't see how that means that I should get armour…" Mathias mumbled.

Aleksander rolled his eyes, placing the books in the satchel before making his way back up the ladder. "I don't see why you have to complain about getting a set of armour custom made…"

"Well I'm just a field worker, goodness…" Mathias replied, adjusting the metal in his arms. "Anyways, I was told that you're assigning me a new room. So where do I sleep now?"

"You're new room is off to the right and two doors down." The prince replied, grabbing some more books off the shelf and sliding down the ladder again, his royal gown fluttering slightly. "Chet will be your new roommate." He said, putting the books with the others.

The Dane sighed. "Chet? I haven't heard all that many good things about him…"

"Well I hope not. He's one of the harsher captains. But he gets the jobs done well." Aleksander looked at the other, hands on his hips. "I don't want some prissy little captains be the ones training my guards."

"Guards?"

"Oh, yeah." He sighed, grabbing the satchel and setting it on the desk. "Welcome to the Armed Guard, rank three."

"Rank three?"

The prince looked up. "You are now my personal body guard."


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, this time I'm using names of some Norse Gods/Goddesses. No, I have not studied this mythology. I honestly just Googled "Norse Gods" and picked a few from that list.**

**And I'm so sorry for the late update, I was caught up in a scheduling mess. But thanks to that, I have chapter eight already started and it _should_ be posted by the usual day. :) Yay~ Enjoy the chappie!~**

Mathias sat on his bed, his armour right beside him. He no longer had to sleep in a stiff cot all night, he now had a plush bed. He no longer had to tend to the fields, the horses, or listen to that whiny teenager. His only duties from now on were to guard the castle from any trouble, especially pertaining to the prince. He was to follow all direct orders from the prince and when he had downtime- he still had to sit by and make sure nothing happened to Aleksander.

He blinked as the room door opened and a man walked in casually- until he spotted the Dane. "What the hell are you doing in here? Field workers are not allowed in this wing of the castle."

The blonde shrugged. "Well, then I'm doing no wrong, Chet. Princey decided to let me up a rank or two."

The older male blinked in slight confusion, before frowning deeply. "Surely you jest."

Mathias reached over and lifted up his armour. "Does this look like a jest to you?"

Chet looked at the armour, then sighed in what seemed to be relief. "You're nothing more than a body guard. For a moment there I thought you were ranked up to captain…"

"Give it time, give it time~" he chuckled, sitting back on his bed. His eyes were closed before he saw the annoyed face that Chet was sporting.

* * *

A few more days went by until Aleksander had called a meeting for everyone assigned to go with him on his trip. He sat at the head of the room, overlooking all the soldiers, and the few servants, before raising his goblet. "For Odin, to whom we drink, and Frey, for which we travel, may we return home safely!" a room-wide 'huzzah' echoed, and everyone took a drink.

Mathias downed his cup quickly, setting the empty cup back down on the table. His seat was now to the prince's right side, that being his only seat from now on.

As well as when the prince was in this room, watching as his subjects came in and out, he was not allowed to leave his seat. During meetings with different citizens, the Dane is also required to be present. Though his workload was much, much easier, he also had many more responsibilities.

The people in the room started shuffling out to the caravan, getting in their carriages, on their horses, or setting up for the long walk.

Mathias followed Aleksander out to his carriage, the most decorated yet smallest of the five or so. He waited for the prince to get inside before mounting his horse- which led the carriage- and giving the signal for take-off.

The start of the trip was slow, having to trot slowly through the village. The Prince leaving often caused a festival-like farewell from the villagers, with confetti and trickster spells, everyone waving at the decorated carriage. Some of the walkers were given pastries or barrels of ale, a charm or two, and other miscellaneous items.

Once past the village, the head of the caravan sped up a little to a winding path in the forest outside the village. Though there was an easier, quicker route to get to the neighboring kingdom, the High Prince always insisted on going through the forest. Eventually a path had been worn down- the path was still overgrown, but it was visible for the people that come on the trip with the prince.

They pushed through the foliage, getting deep into the forest before the prince called for a halt. Chet- the leader- galloped back and asked why.

Mathias- who had given the initial order- simply shrugged. "He just told me to stop the whole caravan."

"I did." Aleksander stepped out of the carriage in his magicks gown, frown again on his face. He adjusted his hat a moment before crossing the path and going into the forest. The two men watched as the prince's figure disappeared, and almost immediately reappeared with a plant in hand. "I spotted this flowering Cat's Ear, and figured we'd need it." He shrugged, getting back into his carriage.

Chet and Mathias blinked at eachother, before turning and starting the caravan up again.

The next time they stopped was at night. The soldiers had pulled out small traveling cots for most people, others laid down on blankets. A fire was started, and a few slabs of meat were being cooked by some of the workers, and Mathias was busy tying up horses to trees.

Once that duty was finished, he went to the Prince's carriage to find out if he was to do anything. He was greeted by Aleksander shoving bags into his arms, instructing him to feed any of the soldiers or workers that cannot or will not eat whatever 'disgusting smelling foul _thing_' they are cooking on the fire. So that's what he did, passing out biscuits and fruit, different cooked meats and vegetables. And the bag never emptied.

When his job was done he returned the bag to the prince, who went inside the carriage and set it back. Mathias took up post inside the prince's carriage.

The interior was much, much larger than one would think. There were two plush beds, and a cot, as well as a large wardrobe, a desk, chairs and a table, a cabinet and an above-ground water well. Mathias sat in a chair, looking quizzically at the three areas for sleeping. "Prince, why are there three-"

He was cut off by a small figure walking out from behind a curtain, a bird in hand. The boy was dressed in a night gown, though he held himself with grace. He looked at the boy closer and almost gasped in shock.

"Brynjar?" he asked, to which the silverette nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the second prince, Dansk." He blinked slowly at Mathias, before sitting down on one of the beds. "Did you not know there are two princes of the Kingdom of Norway?"

The Dane shook his head. "I thought you were just a servant boy…." He murmured.

"Which makes you stupid." Both princes said in unison. Mathias returned the statement with a blush.

"Brynjar has to learn basics of each of the servant's jobs, just like I had to." Aleksander said, face in the slightest bit annoyed. "He also must work under my rule, as a right-hand servant, until my death. Then which he takes my place."

"Oh…" Mathias slowly nodded. He was never royalty, and never wanted to learn how the royal houses worked.

Aleksander sighed, picking his younger brother up and setting him down in the bed, to where his head rested amongst pillows. "You, Dansk, are to sleep on the cot." He said simply, before getting into his own bed and under the covers. "We will wake you when we are up and ready to move out."

Without warning, all lights in the carriage went out, and Mathias was left to fend for himself, finding his way over to the cot.


	8. Chapter 8

**Kay, got it up as promised! owo The ending might be a little rushed, because I really wanted to get back on schedule. But… Yes. Enjoy.**

The next morning, Mathias awoke to a prod in his side. He sat up quickly, looking around tiredly. He saw the little bird from yesterday at the side of his cot, before it waddled away. He looked around, to see the elder prince in front of a mirror brushing his hair.

The Dane coughed a little, sitting up. "Mornin'…" he mumbled.

Aleksander looked over to the soldier, "Oh, so you're awake…" he then returned to brushing his hair. "Be sure to wake the rest of the caravan. We'll be leaving after everyone has finished eating."

"Y-yeah… Sure." The taller man stood up, groggily leaving the carriage. Preoccupied by thoughts of how pretty and feminine the prince looked while brushing his hair, he opened the door and was greeted by Chet, about to knock on his face.

"Oh. You're here. Well. I was about to request from his Highness the bag of fruits."

Mathias blinked, looking to his right and grabbing the bag, handing it to the older soldier. "Have fun with that." He mumbled tiredly. "I have to untie the horses…" he stepped out, beginning his duties.

He yawned as the ropes were untied around the trees, and the horses went to their personal rider. He got to Elrith, untying her and leading her to the carriage. After he hitched her up, he gave her a fruit and went to report to the prince.

He entered the carriage, telling the prince that everything was set and they could leave at any time.

* * *

They took off from then, stopping once to fill up on water, another time for food and rest, and again for the night. Mathias stopped the horses, tying them to trees once again, and went to receive the bag of food from Aleksander.

Going around the caravan, he handed out the food and made small conversation. He fed and watered the horses, as well, before going back to the carriage to report to the Prince.

He opened the door, and almost immediately dropped the bag. He blushed deeply, eyes wide and body frozen. He had walked in on the prince undressing.

The shorter blonde took a moment, before he noticed the slight breeze in the room and turned. As soon as he saw the Dane, he threw the garments of clothes at him, yelling a hearty, "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Mathias immediately complied, rushing out of the carriage and leaning against the side. He was now holding the prince's clothes. His face was still red, as well.

Only a moment passed before Aleksander poked his head outside of the carriage, glaring at the other and yanking his clothes back. "Learn your manners and _knock _next time, pig." He spat before disappearing inside.

Mathias pouted a little, looking at the carriage door before getting up. He knocked on the door. "Hey, Prince, can I come in?"

"No."

"But come onnnn!"

"No. But-" the door opened and the shorter man pushed the cot out. "You can sleep here tonight."

"But-" the door closed before the Dane could get another thought in. He sighed, setting the cot upright and laying down.

"Hey, Rookie." Chet stood over the other. "What the hell did you do? I thought you were the Prince's little pet. Never thought he'd kick you out."

Mathias set up. "Little pet? Hah, funny." He scratched his head. "I just… kinda said something the prince didn't quite like."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Care to tell us?" Chet asked, giving the other a suspicious look.

"No, I do not. Because I don't see what good would come of telling you guys something that doesn't even matter." The blonde shrugged, laying back down.

Chet slowly nodded. "Alright, alright. I'll back off." And he returned to his own area, chatting with other soldiers.

The Dane flopped over, getting comfortable, before going to sleep. And a happy, wonderfully dream-filled sleep he had.

* * *

Inside the carriage, Aleksander was angry pacing around. "That pig! How dare he enter without getting the okay to do so! He should have known that this is a personal area for you and I, Brynjar."

"But Bror, he did the same thing yesterday and you did nothing about it." The boy said, again holding his bird.

"That's because yesterday he-"

"Because yesterday he didn't walk in on you undressing." Purple eyes blinked slowly. "I don't see why this is such a problem, Bror. He is only a knight. It is not like a woman barged in on you."

Aleksander looked at the other, deep frown on his face. "Brynjar, you know exactly the reason why I cannot handle a man walking in on me dressing. Especially _him._"

Brynjar shrugged, smiling the teeniest bit. "That may be so, Bror, but you can still fall to the succubus's trap. Would it not be better for him to be here?"

"As long as he stays near enough to the entrance I'll be fine…" the High prince mumbled, sitting down on his bed.

"If you say so, Bror." Brynjar padded to his own bed, crawling in it and laying down with the bird next to him. "Please, do sleep well."

Aleksander sighed. "If I can, I'll let you know in the morning, Brynjar." He laid down himself, pulling his covers up. "And remember, tomorrow I'll be going to the fairies' cove." He said, before closing his eyes to sleep.

Unlike his brother, or his guard outside, though, Aleksander did not have a good rest, as his night was filled with nightmares and tossing and turning, visions of evil things to come about.

And this restless sleep did nothing to help his mood in the morning…


	9. Chapter 9

**Yay more magical creatures! (Or is this the first I've put creatures of the magical type in here? Hmm…) But again, this does not follow any specific mythology or anything, it all came directly from my mind.  
But do enjoy~ **

The next morning, Mathias was woken by the sunlight shining through the trees over head, and he jolted awake. Looking around, he saw soldiers lazily sitting up, or moving about the camp. Apparently everyone had just woken up.

The Dane blinked, before getting off the cot and knocking on the carriage door. "Hey, Prince? Brynjar? You guys awake in there?"

The door opened to reveal the small boy holding out the bag of food. "High Prince Aleksander wishes you to leave him alone for the day. I will bring the cot back into the carriage while you feed the horses…"

"Oh… Okay." Mathias took the bag, heading out to feed, water and untie the horses. Again, he led Elrith to her post and hitched her to the carriage. Once his duties were complete, he returned the bag and signaled for Chet to begin moving.

They traveled for a long ways without breaks, for the prince demanded they make it without such. Traveling along the path was hard, especially for the average workers.

When the sunlight was just barely past the trees, the High Prince slammed open his carriage door and called very loudly for the caravan to stop. Immediately the workers sighed in relief and rested their worn feet.

The soldiers either got off of their own carriages or dismounted their horses, setting up camp. Mathias did his duties and tied the horses up yet again.

He walked over to the Prince's carriage, knocking and kindly requesting entrance.

Aleksander was the one to greet him this time, annoyed- if not entirely pissed- frown set in place. "If you are here to get food to the caravan, that is Chet's job today." He said.

"No, prince, it's just…" Mathias stopped what he was saying when the aforementioned man walked up to receive the bag.

Chet nodded at the prince, smirked at the Dane and went to pass out the food.

"What is it, Dansk?" Aleksander crossed his arms over his chest impatiently.

"Sorry, okay?" he mumbled, face a little red. "About barging in on you and shit… But you do look pretty good without a shirt on, at least~" he grinned, and found that Aleksander did not take this well. The door was slammed in his face not a moment later.

The Dane sighed, sitting against the carriage again. "So much for apologizing…" he closed his eyes, but his thoughts were interrupted as muffled yells were heard inside the carriage. He listened harder, trying to decipher what was being said- to no luck.

Soon after the yelling stopped, the High Prince barged out of the carriage, fast-walking passed Mathias and into the woods.

Brynjar sighed from the doorway of the carriage. "I don't know why bror is in such a hurry to leave… This is about the time when the demons come out."

This alarmed Mathias, and the knight quickly stood up. "Demons?"

Boy nodded. "Of course. We are in the wilderness, after all." He sighed again, before going inside. "I hope he doesn't die out there. I'm not ready to take the throne yet…"

Mathias looked at where Brynjar disappeared, before turning his attention to where Aleksander had gone into the woods. There was still some light out, he probably could find his way to the other before long…

He took the split descision and headed after the prince.

It took some moments, but eventually Mathias had made it to a barely visible trail. He guessed that this was the way that Aleksander went, and followed it. He had made it to a small clearing, and spotted the prince crouched in front of a tree. He opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped as a small, blue glowing orb floated down in front of Aleksander.

He watched as the other conversed with the orb, until he was spotted. The little orb squeaked- from what he could hear- and disappeared. Aleksander sighed and stood up.

"Great. What do you want?" he asked, again crossing his arms.

"Well, you ran off so suddenly, and it is kinda dangerous out here…" Mathias replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Well you just scared a fairy away…" the shorter blonde replied.

"O-oh, that's what that wa-" The Dane stopped speaking as a red light reached the corner of his eye and he turned to see a teeny-tiny young lady flying right in his face. He said a quiet, half-surprised 'hello'.

The fairy girl jumped a little and sped over to Aleksander, hiding in his hair. The prince sighed. "He won't hurt any of you, trust me." Right after the words left his mouth, many lights appeared as different coloured fairies floated out of their hiding place.

The red one floated back to Mathias' face. "Magic user?"

The Dane blinked again, in confusion. "No, I'm not."

"Oh… Good bye." She flew up into the air, until she disappeared in the night sky.

"What was that about?" he asked Aleksander.

"Fairies prefer to involve themselves only with those who ponder- at least- in the realm of magic." He explained, walking towards the Dane. "And since you're already here, I guess I can show you something…" he turned back, motioning for the other to follow.

They headed farther back into the forest, until they reached a small pond. Aleksander pointed to the ground. "Sit." He demanded, before wading into the water.

Mathias sat back, keeping an eye on the prince with the lights of the fairies to help. He sat up, a little alarmed, when the prince completely submerged.

He kept still, seeing bubbles, and sighed in relief when he broke the surface again. The prince started back towards his companion, his hands cupped together. Mathias patted down some brush and leaves, so that the other did not have to get dirt on his trousers.

Aleksander sat down, holding his hands out. "This is a water nymph." He said as he opened his hands. "They're like fairies, but they can control their element, and become it if they wish."

Blue eyes looked down to the small aquatic creature. The nymph looked up at him, holding her small hand out. The fins that were in place of her ears wiggled a little, and she giggled as water squirted at the Dane.

Mathias jumped back, eyes wide. "W-what the?"

Aleksander chuckled quietly. "They are also playful creatures." He set his hands back down in the water, watching the nymph swim down again.

"I can tell…" Mathias wiped the water off of his face.

Aleksander stood up, wringing some of the water from his clothes. "We should get back… I need to change clothes."

"Yes, of course." Mathias stood as well, following the prince back to the clearing. Once there, Aleksander asked some of the little glowing creatures to lead them back to their caravan. The fairies giggled, before fluttering off.

Both men followed the fairies, for what seemed like a long long time. At this point there was no longer any light to follow other than the glowing wings of the flitting creatures. The prince finally got fed up and stopped. "Why are we not back yet?" he asked one of the closest fairies.

The little girl giggled, not answering, and flying off with her companions into the sky.

Aleksander sighed angrily, before sitting down at the base of a tree. "Great. We should camp out here; there's no hope in finding our way back in this darkness."

"Oh… Uh, okay." Mathias sat directly across from the other, twiddling his thumbs.

The prince curled into himself, shivering lightly. It was not the greatest idea to go swimming so late in the day… "Hey, prince?"

"Leave me alone and sleep already, Dansk."

The Dane blinked, before walking over and laying his Knight's Cloak over the other. It was a little help, wasn't it? "You should get all the help you can. Otherwise, who knows what can happen to you?" he chuckled, sitting down next to the shivering figure and leaning against the tree as well. "Good night, prince…"

**A little thing I came up with after I finished this chapter was, "What would Brynjar have done/said/thought after Mathias ran off after Aleksander?" Well, here is how the short scene would have played out, had I had room for it: (also a kind of sorry gift for the shorter chapters)**

Brynjar sighed as the Dane ran off, looking through the window of the carriage. "Mister Puffin, those two are so stupid to eachother." He looked down at the bird. "And the Dane is just plain stupid. There are no demons in this forest. Even a child would know that."

The bird blinked at the boy before shrugging in its little bird way and waddling to the bed.

"Bror should stop being stupid to himself, too…" the silver haired boy smiled a little bit, sitting down on the bed and picking the bird up. "Maybe I should get him some ale to help him loosen up when they get back, hm?"

The bird squawked and nipped at the other's sleeves, fluttering a moment before going to the pillows on the bed. Brynjar sighed quietly and made his way under the covers. "Good night, Mister Puffin."


	10. Chapter 10

**Um.. Yeah. I had a wild night last night… Didn't get home from a concert until about midnight and I crashed as soon as I reached my room. So sorry for the day-late update.  
And it kinda seems as though some of you thought this was gonna be a short fic… Oh no… Not the case. I plan on extending this quite a bit. ^.^;;  
Speaking of the story… please, do enjoy. (And for once I kindly ask for reviews… I like reading your thoughts on the story… QwQ)**

In the morning, Mathias woke to a surprise. Aleksander was cuddled up to his chest, the cloak draped over them both. The prince's sleeping face was rested against the taller man's shoulder, peaceful and for the first time not frowning.

He smiled softly, gently reaching up and tucking a lock of blonde hair behind the other's ears. Which, was not the greatest idea.

Aleksander immediately awoke, and defensively shoved Mathias down on the ground clutching his throat. Again, his hand was up in the air threateningly, flames around the fingertips.

When the prince released him, Mathias coughed and sat up. "Wh-what are you so defensive about?"

"Should I not be? I am a prince, after all." He retorted, standing and dusting himself off. "Who knows who out in the world want me dead…" he murmured, turning and heading off in a random direction.

"W-wait up!" Mathias scatter-brainedly stood up and trotted after the prince, until they were walking side by side. "Do you know which way we came from?"

"I would, but the fairies decided to play a game and got us lost." Aleksander frowned, looking around. "Keep your ears open for noises of the caravan."

"Okay. It shouldn't be that hard, with all the arguing that's been happening. Not to mention the ale, and all the fun and games that the soldiers have with eachother. I almost joined in cards last night, but didn't. Chet kinda gets to me, and he was in lead hand at the time, y'know? Just kinda… Bleh, didn't wan-"

"Shut up." The prince snapped, glaring at his companion. "I didn't ask for your adventures last night, did I? Not like I would want to know anyways…" he crossed his arms and kept walking.

"I'm sure you would if you were a little nicer." Mathias mumbled under his breath.

"What did you sa-" the smaller blonde could not finish what he said, as he had fallen into a ditch of some sort.

The Dane held back a chuckle as he looked over the edge of the ditch. "You alright, prince?" he called down.

"Just shut up and get some rope or a fine or branch or something! Ugh… It smells really bad down here… Hurry the hell up already!"

Mathias came back with a branch long enough for the prince to grab onto. Once the other was tugging slightly, he pulled up.

Aleksander walked up the steep side of the ditch, adjusting his hands a little until he tumbled over the top and onto the knight. They landed nose-to-nose, with Mathias's hands rested on the other's back. The prince blushed angrily and quickly got off the other, dusting himself off and walking away again.

Mathias grinned to himself and got up as well, following after. "Maybe next time you should watch your step, prince." He called to the other.

"Shut up and keep your ears open!" he snapped, still stalking off through the foliage.

"Will do, red-face." The Dane grinned when he saw the other's fist clench. "Your face is red, Prince. Can't deny that."

Aleksander turned and glared at Mathias; "You are to call me either Highness or Prince Aleksander."

"Alrighty, Aleksander." Teasing the shorter man just made the Dane happy. He saw more than just the bored or annoyed look on the other's face, even if he did end up getting smacked in the face again.

He laughed as he started walking again, following his companion. He rubbed the sore spot on his cheek with a big smile, watching the back of the other's head. Something about them walking together just made the Dane smile.

"I don't understand how I always get stuck with you." The prince piped up, sending a glare back to Mathias.

"Because you like me so much~" He said, chuckling a little as Aleksander's face got red.

"I do not! It is morally unacceptable for someone of my rank to have feelings like that for another male."

"I was just joking, Aleksy." The Dane grinned, ruffling the other's hair.

"Don't touch me!" Aleksander yelled, slapping the other's hand away. "And don't call me that, either!" the man's face was red, and he crossed his arms.

"Aw, you're so cute when your face is red!"

"That's it…" Aleksander glared at the other and stalked off yet again, this time catching wind of voices and speeding up.

He went around a tree, only to see a few wood nymphs speaking to one another.

The magical women looked up in alarm as Aleksander rounded the tree, and got up to flee.

"Wait! I'm just looking for my group, could you point me to them?" Aleksander asked, hands out.

The nymphs blinked at eachother a second, pointed right behind Aleksander and ran off.

"Thanks…" the prince mumbled, turning and walking face-first into Mathias. "Great, and then I run into an oaf."

"Who were they?"

"Wood Nymphs. They're less playful and much more cautious than water nymphs. They pointed me in the right direction, so move your ass."

The Dane blinked and stood aside, again trotting after his sight of affection- I mean his prince. He decided to try his hand at conversation. "So, how many kind of nymphs are there?"

"Four. Water, wood, air and fire."

"That's cool!" he said, half-enthusiastically. "So, what about the fairies?"

"What about them?"

"Like… Are they all girls? Same with the nymphs…"

"They do not have any real gender in the Nymphs species, and no, not all fairies are female." Aleksander said, a little bit of an annoyed tone in his voice. He trotted on ahead once he heard voices.

They emerged from the woods, Chet in front of most of the soldiers shouting orders to begin search.

"That isn't necessary, Chet." The prince said as he passed by the soldiers- all having relieved looks on their faces- and went into his carriage.

Mathias made his way through the brush right after the shorter blonde, yawning a little. He caught a look on Chet's face that he really wish he hadn't.

"Hey, you." The tall blond looked up as Chet made his way over, looking at where the prince disappeared. "So, you and the prince were out in those woods all alone, eh?"

Mathias frowned a little. "As his body guard it's my duty to make sure he is safe…"

"That doesn't explain the sticks and leaves in his hair, or the crumply shirt." Chet crossed his arms. "Come on, are you two doing it?"

The frown got deeper, and he became uncharacteristically serious. "I don't honestly think that should matter to you, but no. Maybe you should learn to keep your shitty little nose out of other's business."

"Well I would, really, but it's my job to weed out the queers and make sure no one touches the prince."

What was said struck a hard chord with the Dane, and before he knew it he had grabbed one of Chet's arms and pinned it behind his back, securing the man in place with an arm around his neck.

"Treason! Treason!" Chet yelled out, getting most guards attention.

This gave cause for Aleksander to slam the carriage door open and storm out. "Release him, now!"

Mathias did as told, stepping back.

Aleksander looked between the two, a dark glare on his face.

"My lord, your guard has-"

"Shut up. I wish to move out. Immediately. Though do not think that this incedent will be left unnoticed. I shall deal with both of you once we enter the next kingdom."

"Yes, sir…" Chet sent a short sneer to Mathias before taking his position at the front of the caravan.

Mathias only nodded and mounted Elrith. "Fine, prince. But you might want to hurry back into your carriage." He nearly fell off his horse as a book was thrown at his head, before it promptly disappeared into thin air.

"Shut up, Dansk." The prince muttered as he boarded the carriage.


	11. Chapter 11

**Alrighty, the good news- finally getting some back stories in here (barely…). The bad news, I'm starting school and so my updates will come farther apart and there will be no specific 'update-date'. I wanted to give the heads up for the beginning of random days for chapters to be posted.**

**And please don't kill me for butchering Finny and Sve… Q^Q I've never ever never written them before. But- Enjoy~**

The rest of the day went uneventfully, until they came to the end of the wooded path and in sight of another kingdom not far off. This got the prince excited, and he demanded the caravan not stop until they made it safely inside the kingdom.

Once inside the castle walls, the caravan disbanded and the prince stepped out of the carriage. Some of the dormant workers that had taken shelter in their wagons came out and started leading the horses to stables, and some servants of the kingdom joined in.

"Get down here." Aleksander ordered Mathias, making his way into the main hall of the castle.

The Dane looked around, and the high walls and ceiling, decorative tapestries and plaques, and eventually his eyes rested on two men at the end of the hall.

"These two are the leaders of the United Kingdom of Sweden-Finland." The prince said, nodding to the men.

One was quite tall, with a startling face that seemed all too serious. The shorter man was smiling, having a much kinder look to him. "Hello, Prince Aleksander."

"Good day, sirs." The prince replied, "I apologize if this brute says anything offensive, he's still on leash and collar."

"Hey!"

The taller guy looked at Mathias, before grunting.

The shorter man blinked at the other, before smiling. "I think it should all be fine, if he's respectful enough. I am prince Tino, and this is my co-ruler Prince Berwald."

"Huh? Princes? But don't you guys, like, completely rule this country?" Mathias asked.

"Well, yes…" Tino smiled a little, blushing. "We do, but… Well, it's a long story. I would be happy to explain it over supper. Your highness, you can room as usual. Is Brynjar with you, as well?"

"As always, he is. Shall I have him room with the children?"

"If you feel that necessary…" the man nodded, before turning. "We will send someone to fetch you for meal."

"Thank you, prince Tino." Aleksander nodded, before leaving the hall—Mathias following after.

"So, what's the deal with two princes? Like, no kings and neither have a queen or anything?"

"You will be enlightened at dinner, so keep your mouth shut and be patient." The Norwegian looked back at the other, before walking into a room.

"Fine fine… But the tall guy kinda gives me the heeby-jeebies." Mathias said, following the other into the room.

"I can guarantee he doesn't like you either."

"What makes you say that?" light blue eyes blinked in confusion.

"Mm… I just know." Aleksander smirked the slightest bit as he sat down at one of the two beds in the room. "The other bed is yours, and this one you are not allowed to touch nor get near under any circumstance unless I say otherwise." The smirk turned into a serious frown immediately.

"Okay, got it." Mathias clomped over to the bed and sat down on it with full-weight force.

"You'd better give these two men your greatest respect, because they could have made all my servants live out in the stables. And that would include you."

"But I'm your guard!"

"There are plenty guards here, Mathias. I could kindly ask for one from the princes, if I needed."

Mathias blinked, looking at the other. "You just said my name…"

"Hm?" Aleksander looked up and their eyes locked for a moment. "I-I did no such thing. Stop fantasizing about stupid things."

The Dane laughed to himself and leaned back on the bed, "You actually called me by my name. Sounds cute coming from your mouth~"

The next thing Mathias knew, he was sitting outside Aleksander's room 'on guard'. He was not allowed into the room, nor was he allowed to converse with anyone in the castle until he had a say-so. And from the burn mark at the tip of his cloak, as well as the bum part of his trousers, he had tried arguing this with his prince.

So he stood against the doorway for seemingly hours before Aleksander left the room for the evening meal. The short man was followed by his 'lost dog', unamused look plastered to his face.

Once entered in the dining hall, the prince took a seat to the right of Prince Berwald, seeing his younger brother on the left side of Prince Tino. Mathias sat to the left of Aleksander, trying not to drool over the large feast laid out before them.

"I see that you are having lovely use of your wisps, Prince Tino." Aleksander said, looking at the prince. "I did not expect to be fetched for meal so personally."

"Oh, yes." Tino smiled, face turning the slightest shade pink. "I happen to find them useful for messaging around the castle. Otherwise I would have lost poor Hanatamago more times than I have already."

"That dog seems to be just a little too much trouble. That's one reason why I do not allow pets in my castle."

"I do see your point…"

"M'm… B't it makes T'no happy." Berwald mumbled, a small, nearly unnoticeable smile on his face. "A happy T'no is better th'n a mad 'ne.."

"I do tend to get a little moody…" Tino smiled embarrassedly.

"Yeah. So are you gonna explain to me as to why you've got no kings and stuff?"

The foreign princes both looked at the Dane, Tino's face showing a little bit of surprise, and Berwald's face held his normal scary appearance. Aleksander simply elbowed his knight hard in the side.

"Right, I did promise that, didn't I?" Tino shuffled a little in his seat. "Well, you see, Berwald and I are unfortunately betrothed."

"Wha-"

"Just shut up and listen." Aleksander interrupted the tall blonde from his beginning of questions.

"Uhm… Yes, but it was entirely unintentional. Our parents, the late kings and queens of the kingdoms of Finland and Sweden had made a treaty nearing the beginning of their reign, that the first son of the Swedes would marry the first daughter of the Finns.

"Unfortunately, I am the oldest- and only- surviving child of the king and queen of Finland. Every sister that I had, died of a terrible illness after birth, but never the sons. Though my brothers have all perished, from what I know, in battles we were called to far off in distant lands. Being the oldest, my parents had to be sure I did not die and so kept me as next in line for the throne.

"With both our parents getting quite elderly at this point, the Kings and Queens had re-made the treaty to have Berwald and I rule beside each other. Personally, I did object but as time with him continued on it got a little easier. He's not as scary as his face is." The prince chuckled, before continuing. "But since the King and Queen of Sweden also could not birth a daughter, and having no other children whatsoever, we had to rule the country together.

"You may be wondering as to why we are betrothed, for this fact. This matter is our parents' thoughts alone, and honestly I do not have the slightest idea as to why they wish two men to be affianced. The prince and I do not entirely plan on having a true Royal wedding, as many of our housemaids have hoped for."

At these words, those who were paying close enough attention to Berwald's face would see him get the slightest bit sad. Maybe he did want a big, royal wedding for his prince? Or maybe he's just a little constipated… With his complexion it is a little hard to tell.

Mathias nodded a little as Tino finished his story, sitting back in his seat. "Getting married to a guy must be kinda stressful. I mean, having to go without women would be such a pain!" he chuckled painfully to himself; he promised on his love's deathbed he would never go with another woman. And he certainly is keeping this promise- but that never meant that the pain of seeing others with their lovers wouldn't be there.

The Dane barely registered the fact that the prince to his right shifted in a slightly uncomfortable way, before he was distracted by Tino replying to his comment.

"Oh, no… I was never one to chase after the maidens myself. I'm not so sure about Berwald, though." The short man laughed, again in an embarrassed fashion. "But enough talk, how about we eat?"

"Sounds good to me!" and Mathias proceeded to stuff his face.


	12. Chapter 12

**Okie dokie Lokis, I've just now realized that this year may be busier than I thought. I was lucky to get up so early to get this posted... So definitely there will be longer breaks between chapters now. For this I am sorry.**

**Umm... Well, yes then. Enjoy my mythological fantasy thing! :3**

The next day, Aleksander had woken Mathias from a drooly sleep, demanding he hurry and awaken. The short blonde explained that he had a meeting with the prince's about certain affairs.

When Mathias attempted to get a little more information about which affairs he was talking about, it only ended with another singed rear-side and sore ankle. Tripping while being on fire was not a good thing.

Once dressed and awake, they headed down a long hall to a large chamber with one table in the center, the walls lined with book cases and tapestries hanging above the three doorways. Looking up, one would notice that the ceiling was arched and decorated with stained glass windows. There were torch holders mounted on both sides of each doorway and in-between each book case. Four seats were set around the small circular table. Three were occupied when the two men arrived, by Tino, Berwald, and Brynjar.

"Good morning, Prince Aleksander." Tino said, looking up as the two men walked in.

"And you, Prince Tino. Berwald." The Norwegian sat down. "You-" he said, turning to look at his guard. "Are to stay posted at the door. And remember that if you breathe a word of what is discussed in this meeting to a single soul outside, I will personally skin you alive and use your organs for potions."

Mathias swallowed thickly, nodding shortly and standing beside the door in which he entered.

"Now… What is it you would like to discuss with us, Aleksander?"

"I believe Azoson has set her eyes on my life force this time. She was spotted outside my castle walls, trying to break through the barrier."

"But why you? Certainly she wouldn't try so soon to the Moonlight Festivals." Tino looked concerned.

"That's what troubles me." Aleksander pulled a scroll from his satchel. "If you two have noticed anything, I would like to know. Or if you end up thinking of any reason as to why she's showing such alarming behavior."

"'S it their m'ting year?" Berwald asked, adjusting his eye glasses a little.

"Not for another thirty years…" Brynjar piped up.

"And even if it were their mating year, that would not explain why she couldn't just use a normal human as her feed…" Aleksander took out a quill and sketched down some notes. "She attempted to trick a few of my old night guards into allowing her entry."

"Being so close to the peak of your power cycle, that was much too risky." Brynjar said, moving a little in his chair. "Though she was outside the walls, had you walked out and seen her manipulating the men, I'm sure she would have paid dearly…"

"She probably would have turned into dust." Aleksander mumbled.

"We all know demons cannot be slain so easily, even at your power peak." Tino reasoned. "Who exactly witnessed her? One of your maidens?"

"No; unfortunately it was the brute guarding my door."

Mathias bit his tongue from giving an outburst.

"Oh? Well then please. Tell us what you saw." Tino requested, blinking a little surprised at the man.

"Um… Okay." Mathias stood a little straighter, having everyone's eyes on him. "I woke up some time before dawn, and wanted to take a walk around the grounds because I wasn't tired anymore, and I went outside to see the night guards talking with someone… I got closer to see it was a demon lady, and then she told them to kill me so they tried… I beat them really easily-"

"And left the front court covered in blood.."

"Uhm… Yeah, and then she said something about her brother having to come after me or something…"

"Alpoah is coming after you as well?" Tino asked, looking back to Aleksander.

"N't a good sign…" Berwald frowned deeply. "M'ght be comin' after us n'xt."

"I was not aware of this piece of information." Aleksander growled, glaring at Mathias out of the corner of his eye. "But that doesn't add too much to the current problem at hand… Since Azoson threatened him and not me."

"Indeed…" Berwald nodded. "B't they could st'll be goin' after ya', but gettin' rid of th' thing in their way…"

"Please tell me that I didn't just hear you say that…"

"I think you'll have to keep Mathias alive and close to you. Alpoah doesn't come out on every call that Azoson makes, otherwise I certainly would have died long ago." Tino said.

"Wait wait, can you please clarify as to who these guys are?" Mathias requested, looking desperately at the other men. "I'm part of this now, too, apparently."

"Azoson and Alpoah are two demons set on turning the great rule of humanity to dust. They've worked against the twelve great kingdoms for years, only succeeding in crushing one- which was the great kingdom of Prussia. What they didn't expect was the humans and elves to come in immediately afterwards and divide the land up to expand their own territory, so they've went into hiding for a long time afterwards." Brynjar took a short breath, before continuing. "They surface every now and again, trying slowly and tactfully to whittle down the legs of the empires and send each crashing down on top of one another so that the great human kingdoms die in the process.

"Azoson is specifically a succubus, a demon lead to tempt men with sexual desire into doing deeds for her. If the men she manipulates are weak enough, she is able to completely take over their mind and use their bodies as puppets. Alpoah does the same, normally with the women he finds; but he is older and much stronger than his sister, and has been known to take down men from time to time."

"How the hell do you know all that?"

"I do much studying in my spare time. Now shut up." The silverette pushed his hat up, to keep it from falling in his face. "You must be wondering what a power cycle is. Well, it's something that all magick users have, in which they pick a star to use as their power source and twice a year they reach a peak of power- a negative peak and a positive peak. My brother was lucky and was able to choose a star which directly follows the sunlight and moonlight festivals.

"This peak is when all the power of the star is bestowed upon the user, and he or she can use it in every way imaginable, unlike normal days when they have stress limitations.

"It is unwise for demons to attempt to take men and women at their high peak because they can end up severely wounding the creature. And since demons have much higher pain tolerance and quick healing speeds, that takes some great power. Azoson and Alpoah both know Aleksander's cycle, and if they did not they could easily feel it on his person.

"This is why it is utterly baffling as to why they are trying to take his life force- which is what is _assumed _by us that it's what they're doing- at such a time. They could easily be wounded and weak enough to be killed by other demons."

"Oh wow…" Mathias blinked. "Didn't know that. Maybe I should have paid a little more attention when my mom was rattling on about myths.."

"That is a smart decision, Dansk, now shut up and let the princes discuss this." Aleksander said.

"Bu-" the Dane was cut off with a dark, menacing glare being sent his way from his prince.

**Bad chapter end is bad. :U**


	13. Chapter 13

**So... I've been gone awhile (Like a week or two but whatever.). I sincerely apologize for this, but my classes seem to be tougher than I had expected... Q^Q This means that my updates are certainly going to be few and far between, almost like me being on a small hiatus. I'm really sorry about this, and I'll work on this as much as I can, so prease! Don't give up on me yet!**

** Honestly, this is more of a filler chapter so that I could churn something out, and it really has no meaning other than maybe a little of poorly written useless fluff. . And please, enjoy.**

The princes had ended the meeting with some progress, having had enough ideas between the four to work out a few plans as to what to do in case of Azoson or Alpoah coming. Aleksander had excused himself first, rolling the scroll up and turning to leave.

Once out of the chamber and starting down the hall, he sighed to himself and relaxed his shoulders. "I hoped I wouldn't see them again until I had finally found a spell to kill of demons…"

"Is there such a thing?"

"That's what my research is, Dansk." The prince sighed again. "I've dealt with demons too much at too young an age..." he mumbled before turning to enter his room. Mathias followed and sat down.

"You've had a long day so far… Why don't you just lay down for awhile."

"You shall stay up, correct?" Aleksander asked, sitting on his own bed and taking his shoes off.

"If that's what you wish." The Dane smiled a little, scratching the back of his head.

Dark eyes looked the other man up and down a moment, before closing. "No, there is no need for you to stay up. This castle is well guarded. And I shall not sleep, as I have studying to do."

"Princey, really, you're a bit stressed out." Mathias argued. "Maybe a nap is good for you. Or maybe some ale… I wouldn't mind a pint, honestly."

"Then go request a pint of ale. No one is stopping you."

"Will you drink with me?"

"Heavens no!"

"… Scared?" Mathias chuckled a little, seeing the growing blush on the other man's face.

"No. I just do not think it wise for a prince to drink."

"Aw, I wonder what kind of drunk you are." The Dane dodged the pillow tossed at his face. "Come on, I'm just joking!"

"I don't care. It's rude to question that about your prince." The blonde sat up straighter, pulling out a book from the bed-side drawer. "Now I have to study, so shut up and let me read."

"Fine; but only if you agree to have a drink with me before we leave."

"No."

The Dane sighed, before singing and yapping to himself, jostling around the room. He moved as many things, and made as much noise as possible.

"FINE! SHUT UP AND I'LL HAVE A FUCKING DRINK WITH YOU!" Aleksander shouted, throwing a pretty large and heavy book at the other. "But just one and no more, and I'm serious. A single peep and it's over."

Mathias grinned widely, making the 'zip-and-lock' movements across his mouth, before trotting over and plopping down on his bed. Within moments he was conked out asleep.

* * *

Later that evening, the two men were called to the dining hall for the evening meal. Again, it was a large feast, and again, there was quite a bit of chatter before eating.

For the rest of the evening, there was little going on; quite uneventful. Though, Mathias did get excited when he noticed Aleksander sending a Wisp somewhere. "What was that for~?"

"I decided to get this whole 'ale' thing overwith as quickly as I could. And I will not be drinking much."

"But I get to have as much as I want, right?"

"If you behave. Otherwise I'll send you out to the stables." Aleksander sighed, fixing the bejeweled clip in his hair.

"Fine, fine…" he said, holding his hands up in defense. Though, inwardly, he swore to himself that one day he would find out what kind of drunk the prince was…

Not too long later, there was a knock at the door- to which Mathias excitedly answered. "Yay, Ale's here!" he called, the open door revealing Brynjar carting a keg and cups. Holding the medium-sized keg and goblets, Mathias thanked the young prince before skittering back inside the room. "Finally! Haven't had alcohol in so long!"

"I doubt that…" Aleksander mumbled, taking his goblet.

"No, really! Since…" the Dane froze a second. "Since… Since that battle…"

The prince looked at him in very slight confusion, getting some of the drink.

"When… after you had your soldiers beat me up then drag me to your castle…" his eyes shadowed over slightly; "all those villagers were throwing things at me as the ropes burned around my ankles… I wanted to die so badly…"

"And now?"

Mathias looked up to the other, who was sipping out of his cup. "What?"

"Do you want to die? I could easily arrange that for you." He replied.

"I… don't. I don't wanna die anymore…" the Dane mumbled slightly, filling his goblet to the brim and downing it briskly. "Ah! This ale is quite fine!"

The shorter man rolled his eyes, drinking a little more. "It's okay, I guess…" he murmured. "I've had better…"

"You drink?"

"On occasion. Normally I don't notice until awhile after…"

Mathias tilted his head. "Are you a light-weight?"

"A what?"

"Ugh… Do you get drunk easily?"

Aleksander blushed a little, "I don't see how that is any concern of yours!"

"Well I gotta know when I should make you stop drinking, Princey!" he laughed, re-filling his goblet. "I don't want to have to deal with a moody hangover tomorrow."

And again, the back of the Dane's head was met with a rather thick hardcover book. "I know when to stop, idiot."

"Aw, come on! Stop throwing stuff at me!" Mathias whined, standing up with his refilled goblet. "That hurts!"

"Would you prefer being doused in flames?" the prince replied with a snicker.

"No, I would not, that hurts worse and can be permanent." Mathias said, pouting and taking a drink.

"So can brain damage from the books." For once, a light chuckle left the smaller one's body. "But that won't do much to you. You're stupid enough as-is."

"Hey! That's mean!" Mathias whined. "You should try being nice for once."

"I don't have to be kind to a bodyguard."

The Dane pouted, downing his second goblet and again getting another. "But I'm a really amazing body guard, right?"

"Sure…" Aleksander replied, downing his goblet. "You're not so bad."

It was then Mathias noticed the pink tinge on his prince's face. "Hey, Aleks?"

"Hmm?" the shorter blond looked up at the other. "What?"

"Oh my god you're drunk." He smiled, laughing to himself. "You really are a light-weight!"

Aleksander pouted, "That's not very nice…"

The taller man blinked, surprised. "A really bad light-weight…" he murmured to himself, "Hey, princey, I think you should go to bed now… You're not looking too well."

"But I feel fine!" he replied, whining slightly. "I don't wanna sleep yet! I wanna stay up with you!"

The other blinked a little in confusion. "Uhm, how about you go to sleep? Just lay down in your bed and go to sleep."

"But it's cold…" the drunken man argued back childishly. "I hate being cold!"

"Then get under the covers!" at that, the prince sighed, stumbling to his bed and flopping on it stubbornly.

"You're an ass."

"I know, now get under the covers and be warm…" Mathias sighed, smiling a little and setting down his goblet.

The shorter man rolled over onto his back, pouting up at the ceiling. "Meeeeanie." He whined.

"What's the matter?"

"You are! You're a meanie and don't like hanging out with me!"

"Why would you say that?"

"You're making me sleep."

"Aleks, I just don't want to deal with you when you're not yourself."

"But I'm mean to you…"

"So?" he chuckled at the other, sitting down at the corner of his bed. "I deal with it better than you'd think. You're too cute not to deal with~"

"You think I'm cute?" Aleksander looked at the other with mild surprise on his face.

"Maybe a little." Mathias shrugged. "But you should really get some sleep. So get under the covers." He shifted to stand, so he could go to his own bed, but was caught by his sleeve.

Blue eyes looked back to see a greatly flushed prince looking downwards in embarrassment. Mathias felt the other tug him closer. "I'm still cold.." Aleksander mumbled quietly.

Without thinking, his face getting redder and his heart pumping harder, Mathias scooted over to the other half of his prince's bed. "I can fix that…" he murmured, laying down next to Aleksander with his arm around the other protectively. "Goodnight, Aleksander."


	14. Chapter 14

**TO ALL MY READERS PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR MY ABSENCE. I could sit here and ramble on an exuse, but I won't. I've been busy busy lately, and I thought I'd have this chapter up WAY sooner than it is. . **

**B-but please enjoy the most recent installment! I'll work on Chapter fifteen as soon as possible!**

Aleksander woke with a slight headache. He sleepily shifted, feeling a warmth- and immediately opened his eyes. He found himself face-to-chest with his body guard. His eyes opened wide, and he looked upward to see the peaceful face the other man sported. He almost shoved the other away, but was much too comfortable to do so at the moment.

Instead, the dark-eyed man shifted closer to the warmth, closing his eyes again. "Stupid Dansk…" he muttered.

To which a startled Dane woke up, jumping a little bit and looking around. "M-ma?" he blinked, remembering where he was, before settling down. He then noticed the second pair of lungs down by his chest. He looked to the prince, who was glaring right back at him.

"M-mornin', prince…" he said, smiling sheepishly.

"Get the hell out of my bed."

Quickly the orders were followed, and Mathias sat at attention on his own bed. "So, you _really_ can't hold your alcohol."

"I know…" Aleksander muttered, sitting up and crossing his arms. "And shut up about it. I hear another word about it and you're in the stables- both here and back home."

"Understood, Princey."

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, Aleks."

"Or that. If you _must _be so informal, just go back to calling me simply 'prince'." Aleksander said, crossing his legs and arms, frowning at the other.

"Aww, but that's no fun!" Mathias whined, grin on his face.

The prince opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by a knock at the door. He stood up and answered it.

Brynjar stood in the doorway, hair messy and yawning. "Bror?" he murmured, rubbing at one of his eyes, "Your spirit troll woke me up again…"

"Oh… I'll be sure to keep him in the carriage next time." Aleksander replied, stepping aside to let the young man in. "Dansk, go fetch us some water and bread."

"Aw can't you wait for the morning feast?"

"There is not a morning feast on this day. Now go to the kitchen and get me what I asked for."

Mathias huffed before stepping outside the door to get some what his prince asked for.

"…. You just sent him on an endless search, Bror…" Brynjar murmured when the other left.

"I am aware of that." The older of the brothers looked at his sibling, arms crossed. "But I would like to ask you a question, and I demand a straightforward answer."

"Of course, highness."

"What in the eighty hells did you do to that ale last night?"

If one was looking close enough, a slight flicker of a smile could be seen crossing the silverette's face. "Why do you ask, brother?"

"Because I do not get drunk that easily off of a glass of plain old ale." He said, with a slight accusing tone.

"Well I did add a little wine and a tad bit of Rabbit's Tears." Brynjar replied, innocently-bored expression on his face.

Aleksander sighed, hand to the bridge of his nose. "Why?"

"I didn't know that it would do that to you; I'm only a little kid, brother." The younger replied.

"That may be, but you are more clever than you let others think. I've seen what you can do, Brynjar." The man pulled out a brush and a chair. "Never do that again, and come here. Your hair is a mess."

The child bounced off the bed and trotted to his brother, sitting in his lap. "Bror, what do you think of him?"

"Of who?" Aleksander asked annoyedly, starting to brush the other's hair.

"Your guard, of course."

"That is a personal matter, and though you may be my relation, I do not see the need in relaying that information to you."

"You like him, don't you?"

"I consider him a good guard, stupid and one that thinks with his gut, but from what I've seen he is loyal and gets the job done." He knew what his brother meant. He always knew. But there was no reason to let a child try to convince him that he had fallen for a man- and a Dane at that. He denied it fully- and as a seemingly straight man, there was no way that even _if_ Aleksander liked him, Mathias would return the feeling. But there was not a chance, as Aleksander did _not_ find the taller blond attractive.

"Brother? Is something the matter?"

The high prince snapped out of his thoughts at his brother's words. "Pardon?"

"You stopped brushing my hair and nearly set the brush aflame." The boy said cooly.

"Oh, no, nothing's the matter. Just distracted thoughts."

"I see." Brynjar replied, jumping down from his brother's lap. "Well I shall return to my room and get my day clothes on, and I will see you later in the day." He said, walking out of the room.

Not a moment later, Mathias came running back into the room with two rolls of bread and two glasses of water. "I'm back! Wasn't that hard to- where'd the runt go?"

"Shut up and give me a damn roll." Aleksander snapped, grabbing a glass from the other's clutches, as well as the bread.

With the sudden loss of both objects, Mathias stumbled with his balance and nearly dropped the second glass. "Okay, but where'd he go?" he asked again, once he had control of the items in his grasp.

"He decided to leave back to his room to change into day clothes." He replied, taking a bite of the roll.

"Oh…" Mathias said, glancing at the door. "I guess that makes sense… So. How has my drunk prince been?" he asked, turning with a cheery smile to the shorter man.

Said man marched over and dumped the water on the other's head, taking the second goblet. "You keep your mouth shut, Dansk…"

"Of course, Princey." He muttered, shaking his head, the droplets flying everywhere. He heard the prince stifle a yelp, and he looked up to see the man glaring at him. "What's the matter?"

"Your dog behavior… That water was cold!" Aleksander replied. "Such a brute…"

"But you love me because of it~" he chuckled to himself, before a book kindly knocked him sideways.


End file.
